Cato's Games
by livetowrite4
Summary: The 74th Hunger Games in Cato's perspective.
1. Chapter 1

_It's my last obstacle. A boy from seven. He looks at me, ready to jab his ax into my torso, but I quickly run into him, bringing him and his blood dripping weapon to the ground. He tries to reach for it, but I already have a hold on him. My hands surround his neck and I pull him up so our eyes meet. His feet dangle just above the grass. I know what to do now; I've done it plenty of times on dummies. All I have to do is twist his neck. It's over. I'm the victor._

_He claws at my fingers trying to loosen my grip, but his strength is weakening as his body loses oxygen._

"_There's no use trying," I mutter to him, still holding onto his dirty neck, "I've already won." I wait a while, still deciding when to finish him._

_He loses his fight and determination. I feel his weight pulling me down. Soon enough my arms start to feel the tension of his dying body, so I throw his skull against the grass. His neck is still red from my gripping hands, but his body is a cold white. Open but empty, his eyes stare across the field. The cannon rings through the forest._

_My body relaxes as relief overwhelms my body. I look up ready for the hovercraft to pick me up and announce me the victor. Nothing._

_I listen for the wind generated by the large vehicle above, but all I hear is the subtle rustle of leaves brushing against each other and the birds humming._

_Another cannon fires._

_I look down and see an arrow pierced through my heart._

I look up to see the ceiling of my room. I quickly put my hands on my chest. I realize it was all a dream, but my heart still races. My head turns to the open door where I hear my family already eating breakfast in the kitchen. I swing my feet onto the ground and put a shirt on. I go down the hallway and hear their voices get quieter as I get closer and suddenly they halt as I stand at the doorway.

"Cato! Are you really going to volunteer this year?" Mason breaks the silence.

I look at my father who has a proud grin stretched across his face and then answer Mason, "I believe so."

"You are going to win, I know it!" Ares says, hugging my leg. He's my youngest brother, and only at the age of four.

"Well I hope I do," I grab him and rustle his blonde curls. His giggling is contagious, but I guess my mother is immune to it.

"Ares, let Cato eat, he has to get ready for the Reaping," my mother picks him up and carries him into the living room. She looks a bit sad, but she smiles once she catches me staring at her.

"Now, Cato, don't feel rushed into volunteering this year. You still have two more times after today," my dad says. He was technically correct, with my being 16, I had until my 18th birthday to volunteer.

"No," I say sternly, "I have to go this year." I was half lying to him. I had to volunteer anyways. My instructors had been pushing me for years to go up to that stage and announce myself a tribute, and they said this year would be my prime time to do it. I wanted to win of course, but there was always a chance that the game makers might kill me off for fun. However that was very rare for a tribute from District Two and I am betting I'll be a Capitol favorite. Although the odds were definitely in my favor, I still had some doubts. I know I have the power to win, but once I step forward, I'm entering myself into a game of life and death. I had plenty of training in combat and weaponry at school, but both opponents always came out alive after practice. In this game, only one will survive while twenty-three others will parish. I try to eat the food piled in front of me and forget about it all. It is really hard for someone like me to admit to fear. It's even harder to face it.

I excuse myself from the table and go to my room where I put on my suit that my mother had laid out for me. I came back with my family already dressed for the occasion. We walked out of the house and down the street to where the Reaping was being held. I walked with Marcus, my twelve-year-old brother, to the line where we were identified. Jealousy was seeping from his eyes. Even though it was his first year in the Reaping, he desperately wanted to be in the Hunger Games. He was far too young and weak, but he was a ravaging beast inside. He once bit a kid's ear off in school. He was surely a candidate to become tribute, but he needed to work on his patients.

I put one hand on his shoulder, "this is only your first year, you have plenty of more times to go," he glares at me still, "Hey, you might be chosen this year, but too bad I'm volunteering." I smile, but all I get is a cold expression. I leave him to go stand in my section and watch as everyone gets settled down.

Pan Vipointe, the District Two escort, comes up to the stage wearing his strange capitol clothing. His hair is puffed up into a grand silver ball. His suit is lit with purple and auburn sparkles. He grins out to the crowd. He is one of the finest escorts of Panem. Of course he is sent to us, District Two gets the finest of everything because of our loyalty towards the capital. Our District is considered very well off compared to the other Districts, like Eleven and Twelve.

"Happy 74th Hunger Games" He shouts to the cheering people, "and may the odds be_ ever _in your favor," the people applaud. You can tell by his accent that he's from the Capitol. Some have described their voices as posh and refined. Because of our strong ties with the capitol, many from the District try to mimic their accents, but you can tell they are not Capitol citizens. I think they are all idiots. Why should people dress themselves with little lights and talk with silly voices? I think they are idiots, but I will have to persuade them that I adore their culture. I'm lethal as hell, but I'm quite the charmer when I have to be.

The annual video plays explaining the games. Every year they rehash the District Thirteen rebellion. Everyone in that District died and the whole place is a wasteland now. So every year since then, the Capitol has held the Hunger Games. Two kids, one girl and one boy, from each district get chosen to fight in the arena, and only one tribute survives.

"To start off, I will pick one girl to have the honor of being a tribute of District Two," he walks over to the glass bowl on the left and maneuvers his hand until he picks a slip of paper and walks back to the podium. It's a waste to pick names because in the end, someone is going to volunteer.

"Celestial Tracer," he says. I'm familiar with the name, she was my age. Her bony legs shift towards the stage shaking. She was one of the worst in my class. Her skill was awful and her strength was non-existent.

Quickly a small figure passes threw, "I volunteer." I begin to recognize who it is. It's Clove, a year younger than I, but could easily beat me in archery or knife throwing. I always admired her precision and accuracy. She got up to the stage and I got a better look at her. She had very long dark brown hair that was braided down her back. Unlike the rest of the girls who were dressed up, she was wearing a very militaristic uniform. I presumed she didn't want to dress up. She always stayed late during training and had hardly any friends. I had seen her talk to some boys in my class before about their collection of knives, but other than that, she was a mute. I bet she was too busy planning everyone's death in class to talk. I also believe it is her cold stare and murder-written eyes that kept people away from her.

I can see them whispering, presumably he is catching what her name is.

"Well then, District Two," he grabs one of her hands and brings it up in the air, "Clove, your tribute for the 74th Hunger Games" The crowd cheered.

I try to loosen my tense body and get ready to jump up there.

Pan then turned over to the glass bowl on the right, "Calone Falinae."

Before the boy is able to stand up, I move over and get to the stage.

I clear my throat, "I volunteer, sir," I yell to Pan. He grins, probably not surprised at all that both tributes ended up being two volunteers.

He then whispers into my ear, "Well, young man, what is your name?"

"Cato," I respond.

"And here we have District Two's tributes for the 74th Hunger Games, Clove and Cato!" he exclaimed.

The crowd cheers for us and I spot my parents smiling. I can see tears swelling in my father's eyes, proud of my decision.

I look over at Clove and shook her hand strongly. She looked at me with a smirk, and not a friendly one to say the least. Her eyes were already planning my death. I gave a grin back, but a friendlier one. Even though there is a chance we might have to kill each other, we are careers and we are most likely going to team up in the beginning. I am dreading that time when I might have to kill her. With our ability and strength, we are destined to be the last tributes standing. Something about her was so endearing. She was the strongest and always the best at everything at school and her perfection attracted me far more than any of the girls who drooled over my power. To make herself even more appealing, she had an aloof manner towards me that made me go crazy. I sighed. It was too bad that she would have to die in a matter of two weeks.

Pan pushed us gently into the building and brought us both into separate rooms.

I waited there in the cold darkness and thought about how I could feel less guilty about Clove's death. But the truth was she was strong enough and clever enough to survive through all twenty-two tribute no matter who they were, and I was the one who was going to have to see her dead on the floor and hear the last cannon echo through the empty arena. She was going to be like the boy in my dream, except she would probably fight longer and I would have to stare into her dying eyes feeling guilty every second I resist her pull on my hands, a memory that I would hold onto forever.

I hear the door creak and I shake the thoughts away.

My parents walked in with my three brothers behind. They all hugged me at once.

"Make us proud," my mother kisses my cheek.

"The other tributes don't look threatening except for one large boy from district eleven, but he has no chance against you," my dad pats me on the back, "just go out there and beat the competition."

"I will," he then swung his other hand around me and hugged me sternly. I felt a sense of fear in his arms. His words had trust and faith in me, but I could feel his worry. He wanted me to win, but he wasn't certain I was going to. They put me on edge.

"Time is up," the peacekeeper came in and escorted them from the room.

Clove and I were then brought to the train where all of district two gave their farewells. I took a deep breath as I got on. I have been waiting for this moment for years.

I looked back at my home, District Two. I see my family in the crowd waving goodbye and I wave back smiling.

I reassure myself, '_In less than a month, I will come back here a Victor… a god.'_


	2. Chapter 2

The glass door closes, and we finally leave the station. We walk into the parlor where our mentors, Brutus and Enobaria sit chatting away. My heart flutters a bit and I am starstruck to be in the same room as them. They turn their chairs as we walk in.

Enobaria is beautiful and she knows it. She smiles at us, and her sharpened teeth make her look more like a beast than a beauty. I can see the golden tips on each tooth. She had them done for the games. She notices me looking attentively at her mouth and laughs.

"Well, get ready to win, my friends," Brutus says to me, "The other tributes seem pretty weak." He grabs a muffin from one of the trays and bites into it. A trail of crumbs follows him as he sits back down. I like it better when he sits. I'm not afraid of him, but he's quite intimidatingly big.

"But we both can't win. We have each other to beat," I argue. I bite my lip. The mentors are the last people to quarrel with about the conditions of the arena.

"True, but you have volunteered yourself so I presume you've been prepared your whole life. You might end up killing your own blood," he points to Clove with a half eaten pastry still in his hand, "but the truth is one of you will probably die of something not under your control," he says. He looks up and points his open hand to the sky. He means the people watching us. The Capitol. The Game Makers. They watch our every move. They try to figure us out in a matter of days and design the arena for us. Our lives are not only in the hands of the other tributes, but the Game Makers' and whatever entertains the Capitol decides our fate. This whole thing was made for punishment, but the people of Panem have evolved from that. Tributes from districts one, two, and four are called the Career Tributes. We have been taught all until we are eighteen how to win the Games and, we are the ones who are most likely to become victors. In our district, it's an honor to be a tribute. Even if I die, I'll be considered a fallen warrior. But winning is the greatest honor. Being a victor means praise and respect from my District and all of Panem. We stick to this tradition and that's why I volunteered, to make my family proud.

I hear Clove talking to our mentors in the background, but I focus out the window at the sight of the nearing city. I have seen the place on TV, but it's nothing like what I am seeing right now. My face is plastered to the window, but then it goes dark, presumably the train is going through a tunnel. Then the crowds of alien-like people are huddled around the train. I wave out to the crowd. They are my sponsors after all. Clove rushes to the window too and blows kisses to the crowd. I look at her in astonishment. I forget that there is thousands of people staring at me right now and just fix my eyes on the girl who is flirting with the crowd, the same one who throws knives at people for fun. This could not possibly be the same girl who threatened to kill her coach once she was told she was not ready this year. I was amazed yet also frightened.

She turns her head and looks at me. She smirks as she realizes I've been staring at her the whole time. I feel my cheeks burning. I put my head down trying to hide my red face. We walk over to the compartment leading outside and thankfully my face doesn't feel as hot as it did before. I still cannot believe she caught me. I shake my head in an effort to shake away the embarrassing memory.

As the door opens, you can hear the crowd more clearly screaming our names. I wave and smile to all the people even though I'm disgusted by their fashion. They are hideous to me and I am dreading the moment they put me in their clothes.

The mentors are behind us signing pictures of themselves. Apparently some older tributes are considered famous here based on their performance in the arena. There are peacekeepers all around Clove and I restricting the people from touching us.

I close my eyes and let it sink in.."CATO! CATO! WE LOVE YOU!"

They don't even know who I am, and they already love me.

I hear other voices around me, "Did you hear what happened in Twelve? ... A girl volunteered... how strange." I looked around to find where it was coming from. A girl from Twelve volunteered? Why? That was unheard of. No one below Four volunteered.

I then look down at Clove who is delighted by just where we are standing right now. She obviously isn't hearing what I am. I can tell she can't wait to get to the arena. She has been training for this her whole life, like I have.

We are in a new building now. The doors close and Clove's angelic face disappears.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm escorted to a large room that looks like a doctor's office. In District Two, all students get physicals every year to make sure we are in good condition, so I'm not in total shock being in this environment.

A group of capitols, my prep team, walk over to me and tell me to spin around a couple times. They examine my face and stature. I hate having their eyes on me.

"You're already so handsome!" The one with white hair and rose tinted skin says. She is shaped like a stuffed toy. Her statement doesn't make me feel good at all. If she thinks I'm good-looking, that probably means I look like a Capitol.

One of them brushes their hand against my chin. I flinch as I feel their cold skin. Their hands are full of little black designs; I think it's a tattoo, but I have no idea why someone would permanently put flower patterns wrapping around their palm and fingers. His eyes are yellow and transform into red near the core. He grins and then begins to speak, but his lips barely move. Another trait of Capitol people, they speak with their jaw almost paralyzed while odd sounding words travel out of their mouth. They speak the same language but barely. Their lifestyle is so different from ours that the culture barrier comes with a language barrier as well. They have a lot of words for things that we do not have so it is very hard to understand them in some conversations.

"We'll have to get rid of this unwanted hair," he says and takes his hand away from my face.

I can feel my heart beating faster as they start stripping my clothes off. I wanted to stop them, but I was too vulnerable in this situation. This was not like any physical I had ever taken.

They then cleaned me with weird soap that made my skin shiver while the heated water rinsed it off. I was then put in a chair with a mirror right in front of me. They brought out a razor that was electronic. They ran it across my face gently until my face was completely shaven. They told me I was ready to see Fland Lockely, my stylist.

They put me in a smaller room only wearing a robe that they gave me after they bathed me.

Fland came in wearing clothes similar to what the prep team was wearing. He had a skinny goutee with a blue bow at the end of it. His hair was flaming red, but his skin was of natural hue.

"Ah! You must be Cato!" He said enthusiastically he shook my hand, "Oh, you will make the crowd go wild! The other tributes will be envious of your beauty." Once again I cringed at another comment made by a Capitol.

"Not as wild as they got for that girl from twelve," I mumble.

"Yes, she is quite brave and the people love her story," he said.

"She has a story?" I question in revulsion. People will do anything to get sympathy from the sponsors. They will say anything to get an edge.

"Oh, yes! And it's very interesting. She volunteered so her younger sister would not have to participate. Well that's what people have been saying. How very strange it is. This year is going to be very special, I know it," he grinned at me and changed the subject, "and you are going to be the star!"

He showed me what I'd be wearing for the parade. It was all gold. I wouldn't have been surprised if it was actually made of gold. It looked like armor, but metal feathers covered the top. The headpiece looked ridiculous. It was a golden band that would go across my forehead with two wings on the side. I stared at it wondering how I was going to pull it off, but then I thought about how the other tributes would probably look more ridiculous than I would. I put it on and then met the stylists, mentors, Pan, Clove's stylist, and Clove at the Chariot. She was wearing a similar costume, but she had a hat that covered her whole head and the feathers went all the way up her neck. She looked very uncomfortable in it, but she definitely wasn't an uncomfortable sight to see. Her eyes looked so dark with all the light reflecting around her. They brought power to her soft face.

"Look confident and strong, but leave your hostile faces for the arena. There will be plenty of time for scaring people there," Pan tells us.

We were instructed to ride along and we were pushed into the stadium by black stallions. We waved to the crowd only giving them a hint of a smile. As Careers, we still had to look tough. The crowd and the music combine to make an echoing roar surrounding us. The noise was deafening.

We are already settled down in the city circle, but the crowd still shakes the stadium with their noise. I can't see who is triggering this excitement, but the moving banners have the girl from twelve, and from what I can tell, there are flames behind her. I am tempted to look back, but I resist. Clove turns her head and then roles her eyes. "God dammit, their holding hands. What idiots." She mumbles through her teeth. It's the first thing she ever said to me. It seems quite a meaningless statement, but I'm shocked that she spoke to me. She hardly ever talks.

Above us in a balcony, President Snow goes up to the podium and all is silent. Out of all the people I have seen in this place, he is the most normal. His white hair is brushed back and his beard is slightly tamed. He is dressed in a damson suit with a single white rose pinned to his left.

"Tributes! We welcome you," his deep voice echos through the open space.

He gives his address, the one we hear every year, but now I am hearing it in person. He begins with, "We salute your courage and your sacrifice and we wish you all.."

"Happy Hunger Games!" he looks out to the crowd then focuses on the tributes, "and may the odds be _ever_ in your favor." The music starts to pound into my head, and the applause seems to beat simultaneously with my heart. The parade is finally over. We get out of the chariot and the prep team starts to shower us with praise, but I focus on the girl who they all say 'was on fire'. They all look at her with admiration, but I just imagine throwing a spear right through her chest. Her mentor, Haymitch, notices my fixation and starts pushing their whole team away. I look at him and laugh a bit. I heard stories about him. He is a crazy drunk and every Hunger Games he makes a fool of himself somehow. The girl looks at me confused and scared. I give her a conniving grin and she quickly turns away. I laugh once she leaves. She is no fearsome thing to behold.

Brutus starts talking very loudly, "let's go eat! I'm starving!" He must have had a few to drink while we were out there.

We then all go up together on the elevator, but we stop at the second floor. The doors open and we walk into our extravagant apartment we will be staying in for the next couple of days.

I sit down at the table and just stare at all the delicacies displayed in front of me. My mouth waters and I am overwhelmed with all the choices. Even though our district is very privileged, it's not often you find yourself sitting next to all these colorful fruits. I start with the strawberries covered in sweet chocolate.

"Hey, don't eat dessert! The Capitol might have brought you here to kill you, but they aren't planning to fatten you up and eat you," Enobaria barks at me and grabs the plate from me. I want to yell at her and tell her I can do whatever I want, but she's the one who gets me sponsors and Brutus already beats me to it.

"He can eat whatever the hell he wants," Brutus smiles, "Go ahead, kid, eat!" He gives the tray back and hands me a glass filled with some kind of purple drink.

"No," Enobaria snatches the glass from him, "Do you want him to pass out in the training center tomorrow?" you can hear the annoyance in her voice. Her jaw tightens up and her eyebrows scrunch together. The golden tips of her teeth show as she sneers at him.

"You must admit it would be quite entertaining. Forget the girl on fire, we've got the boy on drugs!" he laughs.

She stands up and storms out to her room. It is a good thing she left because if she stayed he would probably been killed on site.

I look at Clove for some kind of relief, but instead she starts giggling. We might not have Haymitch, but Brutus is becoming as sane as him.

"Don't listen to her. She takes this whole thing too seriously," he reaches over for the purple drink and raises it, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be_ ever_ in your favor!"


	4. Chapter 4

_"Cato!" I hear behind me. It's Clove. Her voice echoes through the trees and the birds mimic her scream._

_I see what resembles her body seeping with blood. I run over to see an arrow sticking out of her chest. Her eyes are open still. She blinks, but her body is paralyzed._

_I hear a branch crack. She's there. District Twelve. Her bow is still in her hand and she reaches back for another arrow, but I grab the dagger in my pocket. I throw it and it stabs her neck. She gasps and falls onto the grass. I run to her and pull the knife out making her blood splatter all over me._

_I hear the first cannon fire. I turn to see an empty spot of grass only tainted red by Clove's blood._

_I walk away and go to the river. I take out the knife and rinse the filthy Twelve blood glimmering across the blade._

_The second cannon fired._

_I feel a big thud on the back of my head and everything goes black._

Then the warm sheets start to form around me. I realize it was a dream. I try to shake it off and forget how horrifying it seemed.

I open my eyes. I forgot I was here. I expected to see my room, but instead I'm in a place covered in concrete walls with no windows in which they have isolated me. I go over to the dresser. There is only one outfit in there, so I grab it. It's a black training suit with grey and red on the sides. On the arms there are numbers signifying my District.

I walk out into the main living area where everyone is situated around the dining table. They were all silent, just like my family was days ago, but I think the silence came from the argument Enobaria and Brutus had yesterday.

I see Clove, but I try not to look at her. The image of her lifeless body is still in my head.

I sit down and grab a piece of toast.

"Eat quickly, we're leaving in five," Enobaria says to me.

"Okay," I grab an apple too and put the rest of bacon on my plate.

I stuff it all into my mouth, taking a bit of everything.

Brutus stands up, "Well, I am stuffed!" he gives his hand out to me and I shake it, "have fun out there and be sure to show them your strength. And Clove, just do whatever you do!" He walked back to his room and closed the door, probably going back to sleep.

Clove and I were then sent into the elevator. Alone.

I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what, so something just came out of my mouth, "What do you think of the rest of them?"

"I don't," she still had her eyes on the door.

I felt like an idiot.

We were then at the bottom floor where the other tributes were surrounding the head trainer, Atala.

The elevator door opens and the Twelves come out. I give the girl the same look I gave her last night. She sees my stare and averts her eyes. I laugh to myself. If my eyes intimidate her, wait until she sees me in combat. The boy notices me and glares.

Atala begins to talk, "No fighting with other tributes, there will be plenty of time for that in the arena. Most importantly, don't ignore the survival skills. Twenty-three of you will die. One will not. Who that is depends on your ability to anticipate. Everyone wants to grab a sword but lots of you will die of natural causes. Ten percent from infection. Twenty percent from dehydration. One year the arena was a frozen tundra. Five years ago it was a burning desert. Exposure can kill you as easily as a blade." Her words mean nothing to me. As a Career, all my needs will be satisfied by the supply left at the cornucopia and the massive amount of sponsors who will send me things I need. I'm guaranteed a large quantity of sponsors because I'm the most likely to win.

"Now is the time for you to look around and start training," she blows her whistle and everyone moves around. I walk over to the swords hanging on a metal rack. I look to see the two tributes from one behind me.

"Marvel," he shakes my hand.

"Cato," I respond. I give him no smile. He should be aware that I have no intention to make friends.

A blonde girl smiling at me stands beside him, "I'm Glimmer." She is quite pretty, but so are all the women from District One.

"Nice to meet you," I mumble. They are only nice to me because I'm a career. I look over to the other side of the room and see Clove already throwing knives.

I pick up the spear and throw it to the farthest dummy. It get's stuck at the heart of it. The impact makes a thundery boom that hits all the walls and bounces back. Everyone looks my way, even the Gamemakers turn their head. Except for Clove, she concentrates on her knives. That irritates me a bit.

I move over to the swords and pick up the biggest one. I walk over to the set of dummies. I chop off the first ones head, the second's abdomen and arms, then the third, I jab the blade into the center.

"Next time, try not to disassemble the whole thing," a trainer on the side laughs and comes over to clean up my mess.

I threw the sword down and walked away. I went to the knives again and picked out the one I liked the most. It had one smooth curved blade going across while the other side had sharp edges. I put it down and looked at Clove who was still throwing. I went back to get it, but the knife was gone. I looked up to see a boy from Six staring at me then looked away quickly.

I walked up to him, "Where's my knife?"

"I didn't touch it," he lies.

"I put my knife right there and suddenly it's gone. Tell me where my knife is!" I shoved him.

"Don't push me," he yells. His eyes are full of fear. He reminds me of the boy in my dream.

"You took my knife! Admit it! Admit it right now and maybe I won't punch you in the face," I push him farther.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he says.

"You - took - my - knife!" I scream into his ear.

I grab his shirt and pull him up. Suddenly I feel two people restraining me. I put my hands up in surrender.

"Fine," I say.

They put me in another area away from the boy from Six.

I notice that Clove is near me.

"We can kill him first," she grins.

"Sounds like a plan," I smile.

I look up at the Gamemakers. Some look at me, but most of them are looking at the food.

"Lunch!" The head trainer announces.

We walk over and sit with the other careers.

"Seems like this year it's going to go quick," Marvel laughs. He means that a lot of the weak ones will die at the Cornucopia, where all the supplies are held. It's called the bloodbath cause the weak ones try to get supplies, but they can't get passed the Careers.

"I hope that Katniss girl is the first to go," Glimmer snarls.

"You mean the girl from Twelve?" I ask. Her eyes widen when she realizes I'm talking to her.

"Yeah, the whole city thinks she's great cause of her stylist," she says.

"We should kill the other from Twelve while we're at it; he seems like a total bloke. I saw him painting his hand earlier. Ha!" Marvel says, but no one responds. The other two from District Four sit there just eating their food quietly, obviously they didn't volunteer voluntarily. They looked about thirteen. A family member or a trainer probably forced them. They put them in too early in my opinion.

Clove seems concentrated on the gymnasium, waiting to go back. Soon enough her wish is granted.

I go back and play with some of the other stuff. It gets boring after a while because you can't train with any of the other tributes. I've been watching some of the others, finding out what their weaknesses are. Thresh, the boy from eleven, seems like the only one who would have a chance at beating me in a hands-on combat. The rest are weak, even the other Careers aren't up to par this year, but I don't mind.

I look over and see the knife the boy from Six stole. I grab it. I throw it at the wall twenty feet away. It sticks. Some of the Gamemakers look, but most still feast on the table full of meat and cheeses. They need to pay attention to me. In order to get good sponsors, I need to get a good score.

Training is over and we go back to the floor. I'm kind of depressed on how boring this motley crew is. I go straight to bed and try to sleep, but I think of all the things I can do during the assessment. I can't wait to go to the arena. I have been waiting my whole life, but all of a sudden I have lost all of my patients.


	5. Chapter 5

Clove sat a few inches from me. She was fidgeting her foot, which made her knee bob up and down. I could tell she was anxious to go out there.

"Cato," a female voice called from the intercom.

I stood up and walked through. It was silent, like it usually is when I walk into a room.

I was greeted by stares, some smiles arose, but many stayed emotionless.

I went for the weights. I pulled out the heaviest one and hurled it across the room. It wasn't that heavy at all for me. I wanted to throw another one, but none of them were heavier or even close to equal to that one. I turned back to see most of them writing on their score sheets.

They then began to look, so I went to the swords. I thought that if I show them my skill, maybe they would supply the cornucopia with whatever I'm trained for. I grabbed the heaviest one and moved my fingers around it to find my grip.

The sword glided through the air and beheaded all the dummies with one whisk. I didn't know what else to do, so I stabbed the sword right through the body. The tip was sticking out in the back.

My time was up. A couple of Gamemakers clapped as I made my exit.

To be honest, I wasn't scared at all about my score. I've had to show my skill and strength before at school, and I wasn't nervous at all about getting a low score. Plus I'm a Career.

"The tributes were rated on a scale if one to twelve, after three days of careful evaluation," Caesar Flickerman says. He's the host of the Games. He looks ridiculous in his all blue suit, which is complimented by his outrageously aqua tinted hair, "the Gamemakers want to acknowledge that it was an exceptional group of tributes, as the scores will indicate in a moment."

We're all surrounding the large screen in the living area. Everyone is pretty spread out. Clove sits in the isolated chair in the corner.

"I haven't seen them yet, but I have a feeling they are going to be pretty high this year," he smiles.

"Here we go," you can tell he's reading from a teleprompter now.

"District One. Marvel, 9. Glimmer, 9." I didn't expect them to do that well.

"District Two. Cato, 10. Clove, 10." I slam my fists into the granite table. I was expecting an eleven at least. Everyone was praising me, but I felt like shit. I stared at the screen, but I didn't pay attention to the scores anymore. They were all mediocre.

The last one came up and I heard Clove cuss out, "this has to be a fucking joke."

I watched her walk out and slam her bedroom door. I looked to see what it was. An eleven, a score more valuable than gold. I had been waiting for this my whole life and she just walks in and takes it.

I took that vase of flowers next to me and threw it at the television. I wanted to kill Katniss now more than ever.

I wanted to go into Clove's room and talk to her, maybe even comfort her, but I knew she wasn't the type to seek comfort. And anyways, I'd be going in only seeking comfort for myself. She was the only one that understood how it felt.

Everyone went to their rooms and said their goodnights to me, but I just sat on the couch staring at the broken screen. Outside, people were still cheering and partying. Nothing in particular was happening, but they were just excited about the whole occasion.

"I can't wait to kill them all," Clove says behind me. I look back to see her red eyes. She must have been crying, but that would be impossible. Clove would never cry, but under the circumstances, I could see why.

She's wearing something different, a red flowing top and grey pants. I guessed they were pajamas, but they looked too fancy. We were in the Capitol, so I didn't bother questioning what they usually wore at night.

"I see them and all I can think about is how I want to kill them," I admit.

She walks to the couch and sits down, "After all the rest are gone, Glimmer will be the first to go."

"What makes you think I'll let her stay that long?" I laugh and she smiles.

"She's got a thing for you, you know?" her smile is gone and she averts her eyes. I don't understand why she thinks that holds any significance to me.

I want to tell her how I feel about her, but in fact, I really don't know what I'm feeling. My heart is racing quicker than my thoughts, "Well, I'll keep her along for a while so she can do my dirty work."

"What happens when it's only you and me?" she turns our conversation around to something I really don't want to talk about.

My lips are paralyzed while my heart tries to escape from my chest, "I can't think that way." She really was pushing me. I clenched my fist while that haunting image from my dream came back again.

I look at her eyes, her round, beautiful eyes. They're shocked and confused. She wasn't expecting that, how could she? I really should not have said anything. Now things had become even more complicated. I put my head down realizing that my emotions are written all over my face and I had gone too far. Tributes were not supposed to get attached to anyone. It creates weakness and stupidity.

"They'd probably kill one of us off anyway," she says trying to sooth the wound I had opened. But the damage was done. She knew how I felt. My eyes started to sting with water almost starting to drip out. I didn't want her to get killed off. I didn't like how she said it so nonchalantly, like it was _okay_.

I stood up, "excuse me, good night." I laid in bed, but I was wide awake. I wanted to go out there and apologize, but this wasn't that kind of game where you can make up. This was the Hunger Games. We both couldn't get out of this. We were stuck in a place where our only way to get out together was dying. I went under the sheets and huddled in bed. I had no choice. No matter how hard I tried to figure a way out, there was only one option. "kill or be killed," my trainer used to yell at me whenever I stopped. I always thought he was right. His philosophy stood for everything I believed in, but I've never loved anyone until now. Now it's kill and let your heart be killed. I was destined to become another Haymitch, a victor only trying to forget his victory, intoxicating himself to the point where nothing matters anymore. All I hoped for was that she would die from another man's hands, so I could at least live a drunken man's life, but not have to feel the guilt eat away my heart.


	6. Chapter 6

"Cato, it seems like you are the man to beat this year," Caesar tells me.

I turn my eyes to the crowd. I can't see much with the blinding lights, but I go ahead and talk, "well they will be quite disappointed. I'm sort of unbeatable."

They all cheered. Caesar laughed with them.

"Give us a little hint of your strategy," he asked.

"Well, I'm brutal. I'm focused and I have my eyes on the prize," I say.

"Well, I think all the girls will be focusing on you," he compliments. He looks to the crowd applaud in agreement.

"Thank you, Caesar," I respond.

"The odds are very much in your favor, with a score of ten," he grins, "can you give me a little hint on what went on in there."

"I'm sort of tied," I sat, "I'll just say I managed to impress them."

"I bet you just modeled your face and they gave you that score," he then gets his cue that time is up then raises my hand and we stand up.

"Cato, the brute!" he yells to the crowd and they roar.

He shakes my hand and gives me a pat on the back.

I went back stage.

"Good job," Enobaria grins without her teeth.

Clove went up there. Her words passed through my ears while I admired her face. It wasn't as pretty today since her stylist covered it with make up, but I could still see her eyes, the eyes that held so much power in them. She acted so innocent towards the crowd. She smiled at them. She seems so genuine, but I know that she plans all their deaths. She's a killing machine, just like me. We were born to kill and from then on everyone becomes a target. She leaves the stage and we all go back to our quarters.

We watch the other interviews. I listen to what they say picking up what I can use against him. Most of the tributes are small and Caesar tries to get as much as he can from them. Most of them have no talent in anything, but the girl from District Eleven managed to get a seven. She is only twelve, and it's quite unheard of a young non-Career tribute to get a score above five. Her name is Rue. She talks about how she can climb and then my mind wonders off. If that's how she got a seven, listening is a waste of my time. Thresh came up and I started to paying attention again. He talked about his strength and power, but I was aware of that from the start. Twenty-two tributes had already been interviewed and I didn't get anything about them. I regret not observing them in the gym.

The girl who was on fire goes up on stage. She's looks so scared and I start to smile inside. The crowd won't bet on a timid girl. Her whole interview is emotionless and colorless. Her dress goes up in flames again, but it doesn't cover up her lack of social skills. Her miracle score of eleven is barely mentioned and it irritates me. How can someone get an eleven and not talk about it? I desperately want to know how that damn girl got an eleven. That's all I care about when it comes to her interview. To hell with her fire dress, it's just a piece of clothing.

The last one goes up there. His name is Peeta, like that bread you eat with hummus. It's amazing what some people will name their children. Caesar asks him about his love life and Peeta denies any connections, but Caesar keeps pushing him. He finally broke and confessed, "she came here with me."

"Bullshit!" I scream and walk away and slam my door. My room is dark and quiet, but my head is deafening. He was playing the audience. I could tell his love was all a joke. No one would confess their love like that if they didn't have a hidden motive under it all. He knew nothing about love. I was in love with Clove, and I would have never put her in that situation. He was using the fire girl. Her score, her fame. He latched himself to that legacy, so he would have a chance at getting sponsors. He was playing the game, but this was our game. The Careers were made for these games and the others weren't supposed to mess with it. They were both asking for it.

I realized none of it really mattered. My trip to victory started tomorrow. And in there, numbers and words didn't matter. All that mattered was that their blood would be the first to be spilled.


	7. Chapter 7

We, Brutus and I, are held in a room resembling a jail cell. In the corner, there is a glass tube. Above is the arena. I'm inching towards it, but Brutus catches my arm. We were able to choose one person from our team to bring down here and as he pulls me away, I regret my decision.

"Wait until they countdown, boy," I stop and look at him. My eyes hold anger, but I settle down. We sit in the metal chairs, the only thing in the room besides the tube. I stare at my new boots. They fit me perfectly. I can't wait to run in them and beat all of the others as I speed to the Cornucopia. He speaks and my head perks up.

"I have a lot of hope in you, but don't be too confident," he warns me, "the Gamemakers love putting over-confident tributes in there place."

"They won't touch me," I tell him.

"That's what I thought, but then they drained all the water and I almost died," he says, "Now, show no mercy. Kill everyone you see. Make an alliance at the beginning, but don't trust anyone, not even Clove. She's the deadliest out of all of them. Go for the boy for Eleven and the two from One. They may seem dumb, but it is all an act to win."

The woman on the intercom starts the countdown. Brutus shakes my hand.

"See you on the other side," he grins. By the he's been acting for the past couple days, I don't know what side he is talking about.

I walk over to the tube and step inside.

The door closes and it starts moving. I look up to bright light blinding me.

The cool breeze brushes my neck. I look around. It's a field surrounding a forest, but then I'm distracted.

I see it. The Cornucopia. I want to run and grab the sharp metal weapons hidden in the back. I don't bother looking at the others. I just stare at all the things. The things I want. No, need.

The countdown still goes on. It's tempting to step off, but I know one step will kill me. Last year, a boy from Three was blown to pieces after stepping at the eigth second mark

Only ten more seconds. My heart races; not because of fear, but from adrenaline and excitement.

One second.

Then instantly I become a whole new person. Brutality runs in my veins and a rush of ecstasy flashes through me.

My feet move towards the metal cone, but my head goes through all the things I see in front of me. I get there first. I manage to grab the sword and swing it behind me. It hits something bluntly. I hear the screams of agony. My first victim pants with pain and fear in her voice. I turn to see who it is.

The girl from Seven has my sword stuck in her abdomen. She looks down at her stomach and then turns to me. Her face is blank. The sword slowly runs out of her body as I yank it. She gasps for one last breath and falls to the ground. My very first kill, and I didn't even try that hard. It's more intense than I thought it would be. I never actually killed anyone before that.

I jump over her body and find the next one to kill. I see Clove already found the knives. She already hit two people. She has a grin on her face. She's been waiting for this moment since she started training. It's a bit frightening how happy she is in this environment.

Someone behind tries to take advantage of my distraction, but I can hear their shaky footsteps. I turn around and see their shocked face. It's the guy from District Five. I grab his knife and make him stab himself with my hand gripping his. I twist it a bit and he screams in pain. "Thought I wasn't going to notice you?" I laugh into his ear, but he's already unconscious. His body collapses.

I see red curls moving behind a black pack. I move towards it and his face is recognizable at this distance. It's the boy from Four hiding. He's waiting for a good time to run, but then he notices my eyes ready to see his bloody death. He turns slowly to me and shakes his head frantically hoping I'll show some mercy for the poor kid. He realizes his life is over. I walk over to him with a smile. I look at him, a little twelve year old shaking. He's not ready to die, but he has no choice. He could run away, but Clove will dodge her knife right into him. He stays where he is, almost paralyzed by fear. His time is running out. I'm already a foot from him. His eyes have a teary glaze over them. For a second I see my brother, their eyes are almost identical, but I shake away the resemblance. This is no time for compassion. I stab him before I can change my mind. I turn back and see that everyone is gone except for the Careers. The dead still remain on the ground. Their blood stains the grass. They all smile at each other. Clove looks at me, but there is no smile on her face. The rage still lingers in her eyes. I look at her and acknowledge that the blood bath is over. She starts relaxing. The cannons start firing one by one. Eleven in all.

We meet in the middle. Marvel, Glimmer, a boy from three named Titus, Clove, and me. One flinch and this peaceful moment will become a violent battle to the death. I hold on tight to my sword, but I don't dare move it.

Clove nods at me and we put down our weapons. The others follow. I shake hands with Marvel and I whisper close to his ear, "if you lay a finger on Clove, I will make sure you die a slow and painful death. Is that clear?"

He stiffens up a bit and nods his head firmly.


	8. Chapter 8

It's a tradition. Careers team up. Some people join to be able to survive, but I want an alliance so I don't have to work as hard. Honestly I'd rather just kill them all and stick with Clove, but right now it's three against two. It's too early to take risks like that.

"Let's move out, so they can collect the bodies," Marvel says. She picks up a backpack and starts heading for the woods.

As we leave, I look back to see the hovercraft come in and take them away.

"We should stay. Why should we leave all this stuff here?" I say. No one speaks, but they all agree. I'm glad they already know their place. If we are going to have a team, I'm in charge.

"We should make a pile," Glimmer says.

"Let's see what we have first," I tell her.

We go through the packs. Except for Titus, he's watching the forest making sure no one comes in charging. Honestly I could fight off anyone who runs through, but I wanted to give him a job where he wouldn't be in my way.

We separated the stuff into piles: medicine, food, weapons, and other supplies. There was a tent, so we put it up by the huge pile where everything was. We packed four backpacks for hunting with the whole lot of weapons, food for three days, and traps. I told Titus to stay at the campsite to watch over the stuff. He didn't object, but I could see he was upset that he couldn't go with us. I told him if I came back and anything was missing, I would kill him. He nodded with a nervous expression.

It was dark and it was hard to see, but this was the prime time to find and kill people. We had walked for a long time in silence. Marvel broke the peace, "who wants to finish off the first one?"

"Let's find them and then we'll talk," Clove shuts him up.

I hear heavy breathing and point my flashlight into the bushes.

"Don't just turn on your flashlight. You're going to scare them away," Clove whispers in my ear. Her breath makes my skin shiver.

"I heard someone. I'm going to go look," I walk into the bushes and my foot steps on something. It winces. I flash my light into their eyes.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" I laugh, "the little lover all alone."

The rest come over and grin as they see what I've found.

"Kill him," Clove demands.

I raise the dagger in my hand. It's about to hit his flesh, but he grabs my hand and stabs the knife into the ground beside him.

I try to move it, but his grip is too tight.

"Wait, I can help you," he says.

They all laugh maniacally, but I just stare at him with livid eyes. His power has taken me aback.

How?" I ask sternly.

"I can find her," he has us all. Their smiles disappear. He has the one thing we don't. He knows her. I want to choke him right now and get it over with, but the truth is we won't find her without him. I loosen my grip on the knife and surrender.

"Fine, but once she's dead, you are too," I warn him.

He doesn't say anything.

"So that was all fake? You never loved her," Glimmer asks him.

"Shut up," Clove whispers harshly. I can tell she can't wait kill Glimmer.

"She'll be the first to go," I say into Clove's ear only loud enough for her, and only her, to hear.

She nods. I can see in the moonlight that she's smirking. The darkness of her eyes shine. She likes that I hate her as well. I wish we were alone, so I could talk to her more.

"There's a fire, I can see it!" Marvel goes berserk and runs forward. We follow him towards the light and the smoky sent flowing through the air.

Her shivering body is lit by the fire. Golden curls surround her oval face. I saw her in the gym once, but I don't know who she is. She doesn't notice us until Glimmer asks me for the dagger, "I'll do it." Her green eyes move back and forth between all of us. She takes in all that's before her. Our deadly weapons gripped in out hands. Our evil smirks and glowing eyes gaze at her in delight. She can't yell for help or run. She's outnumbered and there is no one out there to save her. She is as vulnerable as the boy from Four.

She crawls back trying to make distance between her and us, but we inch closer. "No," she begs, "No, please don't kill me." She knows her pleading is useless, but she is desperate.

Glimmer tackles her and pins her to the ground. The knife brushes against her neck. Her breaths are getting faster and heavier. "Please don't," her last words echo. The blade slits her throat and she's gone. Glimmer stands up. Her luminescent teeth shine against her blood splattered face.

We walk away so they can take away the body. We're far enough, but there is only silence.

"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon?" Glimmer asks.

"Probably," Marvel responds.

"Unless she isn't dead," Clove interrupts.

"She's dead. I killed her. She's dead," Glimmer growls.

"Where's the cannon then?" Clove says.

"I'll go back and check," Peeta suggests, but he doesn't move.

"Then go, Lover boy," I shove him off into the girl's direction.

He turns back and walks into the bushes.

"She's dead," Glimmer repeats. From what I can tell, she's only reassuring herself.

"Shouldn't we just kill him now?" Marvel whispers loud enough for all of us to hear.

"Let him tag along. The longer he's with us, the closer we'll get to her," I tell him.

"You think she really bought that whole love story thing?" Marvel asks.

"She might have… Ugh. Whenever I think of her, I see her spinning in that dress. It makes me sick," Glimmer says, "Why didn't I get her stylist. I'm from District One for crying out loud!"

"I just want to know how she that eleven," Clove moans.

"I bet Lover boy knows," I nudge her.

His heavy steps are inching towards us.

"Was she dead?" I ask him.

"She is now," he's interrupted by a cannon. He looks mortified. That was his first kill.

Almost simultaneously, the anthem rings in our ears and the girl from District Eight shines above us in the sky. The rest of the fallen tributes shine across the sky as well. Including the boy from District Four, which makes me quiver in disgust.

"We should sleep," Marvel mumbles. It's still dark and we've traveled about seven miles away from the cornucopia.

Everyone puts their packs on the ground.

"I'll stay up," Clove says.

I lie on the ground, but I stay wideawake watching Clove gaze out into the blackness.

I pick my head up a little to see if they're asleep. I then quietly get up and sit next to her.

"Can't sleep?" she asks.

"I could never when I know there are still tributes out there just waiting to be killed," I tell her.

"Me too," she still keeps her eyes on the trees.

I pick up my pack and take out the bag of crackers. I hand her one.

"No, you should ration that," she tells me.

"We don't have to ration," I laugh. She takes it from me.

"Thanks," she mumbles.

"No problem," I respond.

We sit there in silence. The only sound is the steady sleeping breaths coming from the others and I really wish I could stop them right now.

I stay awake, but Clove falls asleep with her head against my leg.

I put a hand to her face. I'm hesitant, but I brush her hair away from her eyes.

It's amazing how peaceful she looks when she's asleep. She's so deadly, but she looks so innocent right now.

Her eyes open wide and her face becomes stone. She sits back up and holds her dagger tighter.

"What happened?" she asks me. She looks around checking for any danger.

"Nothing," I try to hide my red face, but there is no reason to in this darkness, "sorry."

She gets up, "we should go. It's almost morning." A faint light springs up from the horizon.

"Wake up," I yell at all of them.

They rise quickly. We eat breakfast then we move on.

"Does anyone know how many are left?" Marvel asked as we walked aimlessly through the woods.

"There are still the girls from four, five, eleven, and twelve. And the boys from ten and eleven," Clove answered quickly.

"Only half left. Man, this will be a piece of cake!" Glimmer cheers.

Suddenly a spear stabs the ground. Our heads go up to see the boy from district ten hugging onto the branches above us.

"Give me," I signal Glimmer to hand over her bow and arrow. She drops it in my hand. I aim for his chest and it gets stuck in his shoulder. His body falls down. He's paralyzed with blood seeping through his shirt. I kick him and he winces in pain. He didn't deserve to be kicked, but I was still furious that I didn't kill him on the spot. His breathing is labored and he looks frantically at all of us.

I take the spear from the ground.

I jab it into his chest and he tries to scream, but he doesn't make a sound. His mouth starts overflowing with blood and he starts choking on it.

"Let's get out of here," I start running.

The cannon fires.

"You should have let me just kill him," Glimmer mumbles.

"You didn't even kill the other girl, at least I finished him off. If you don't shut up right now, I'll…," I yell . My face is inches from hers. Her face is turning pale and she clenches her jaw.

"Back off, Cato," Marvel pushes me away from her furiously.

"How about you all shut up and move on!" Clove yells at us.

Our mouths close and our heads go down. A part of me wants to show Clove who really is in charge, but I do not dare speak against her.

"Let's just go," Peeta murmurs.

We walk along the stream hoping to find a tribute drinking or bathing, but it's hopeless.

There's a flat sheet rock area beside the water. We sit down and start eating some of the food we packed.

The food isn't very good, but I don't complain. I watch them eating all like animals. They devour everything in a matter of minutes.

The sound of water splashing comes from behind us, "did you hear that?" I ask the others.

I get up and look over the stream.

The girl on fire is sitting in the water.

"I found her!" I scream. I run back for my pack and start running for her.

They all follow me and see her too.

She looks sick and exhausted.

I run faster than the others. I _need_ to kill her.


	9. Chapter 9

We ran over to the trail of rocks that went across the river. She had an early start, but we were catching up. She looked back. I then grabbed my sword and sprinted ahead. I could tell she was injured and she would eventually have to stop. She was making this too easy for me.

"Where are you going, girl on fire?" I tease her.

"Get her, Cato!" Clove shouted. I ran faster right after her voice reached my ears.

She started to climb the tree. Once I got to the trunk I looked up. She was still moving up. I laughed at the sight. She really thought that climbing up would save her.

"We got her," Marvel smiled.

"I'm coming for you," I started climbing the tree too. I was going up pretty fast, but she was going faster. I picked up the pace.

"Kill her, Cato!" Clove said. Her words put more weight on my chest. It was more of a demand that a cheer. I didn't want to let her down.

I tightened my grip on the branch on my left, but then it went loose. I was going down. I could feel the gravity pulling me towards the ground.

My body flattened against the dirt. I was looking up to the branches. My whole back felt bruised.

I failed.

I got up, but I didn't dare look at the others.

"I'll do it myself," Glimmer mumbled. She took her bow, and her arrow brushed against Katniss.

"Give me that," I yanked the bow out of her hand and aimed for her head. She only tilted her head slightly making it miss again.

"Maybe you should throw the sword," she mocked us still holding onto the tree. She moved her leg and her pain showed in her face.

I wanted to climb up there and rip her into pieces, but I wasn't going to humiliate myself again. I wasn't going to climb again.

"If we stay down here, she'll have to come down some time," Peeta suggested.

"Okay," I responded. I knew he was just saving time for himself cause if we killed her, then he was next.

We put our stuff on the ground and sat near the tree.

"This better work, lover boy," Glimmer glared at him. She was mad about missing her, I could see the frustration blazing through her eyes.

"How many are left, Clo-?" Marvel asked.

"Eleven," she interrupts.

"Oh," he responds.

The sun was hitting the horizon. I was so tired from the lack of sleep I had gotten the night before. I rested my head and the rest of the night was unclear.

The next thing I knew, I heard buzzing in my ear. I opened my eyes to see bees flying all over me. I ran. I wasn't very sure where, but I just ran until I lost my train of thought.

Those weren't bees. Those were Tracker Jackers. I saw them in one of the games a few years back. They mess with your head. Hallucinations are most common. It can be lethal in some cases. They were never in a swarm like this though.

I tried to get back to the tree, but my vision was cloudy. The forest started caving in on me. I ran faster. Running from the trees that started falling behind me. It felt so real. My vision started to crystallize with tiny slivers of images swiveling around me. The sight reminded me of when I was little and I looked through those little toys called kaleidoscopes. The light was fragmented and changed its design as I moved my head. I tried to concentrate, but it was impossible.

"Go! What are you doing? Run! Go!" I could hear Peeta yelling from a distance.

I ran towards his voice. I was back to the tree. Glimmer's body, almost unrecognizable, laid on the ground immobilized and swollen. I didn't know if her mangled body was my imagination or the Tracker Jackers really did do this to her. The turning crystal images started to fade away. I saw Peeta standing by someone. I still couldn't recognize who it was. I squinted my eyes to focus, but I still could not see. I knew who it was though.

He was helping her. I realized it all. He was helping her escape. He was planning this all along. My feet started running at a faster pace. She was gone, but he was still there.

"You really think you can get away with that?" He was under me. Weaponless, he surrendered. I put my boot against his chest. I raised my sword. His eyes were already closed anticipating the excruciating pain I would bring upon him.

I jabbed my sword into his leg. I could feel the blade hit his bone. I slide it back out. The dark blood glimmered across the sword and was seeping down his leg making a puddle in the rocks.

"May the odds be ever in you favor," I mocked.

His eyes were squinted and he held onto his bleeding leg. I could have finished him off then and there, but he was going to die anyways. Why make it easy when you can make it hard?

I wanted to yell Clove's name, but it would have attracted other tributes to this spot. I walked over to the tree and saw Marvel staring blankly at Glimmer. He didn't cry, but he was definitely sad about her departure. For any tribute, it is a bit hard to see your own kind go. He lost the only thing that reminded him of home.

Clove was over by the packs going through her stuff.

"Ugh. That bitch stole her arrows," she groaned, "we should get out of here soon." She picked up both packs and started heading towards the camp.

I picked up mine and walked beside her. Marvel soon followed.

There were only three of us left. Our alliance was at the brink of extinction.


	10. Chapter 10

Clove walked ahead. She was good at tracking and finding our way back. Marvel walked behind me and I was in the middle. I stared at the back of her head. Her hair was still perfectly put up. No blood or dirt stained her. My orange shirt had dark red stains all over.

"I'm so hungry," Marvel whined.

"You can eat when we get to the camp," Clove told him.

"How far?" He asked.

"I don't know. We'll find out when we get there," she sneered.

I wanted to jab my spear right into his stomach, then he might lose his appetite. What I really wanted was to be with Clove alone. With these last days upon us, I wanted to talk to her, get to know her, before she was going to die. I knew once it was only us, we would have to split up and hope for something else to finish the other off.

I watched her feet moving across the dirt and how she strategically mad no tracks. I was so bored, but I didn't make it as blatantly obvious as Marvel did.

"I have to go," Marvel said.

"Fine," I said. He ran into the trees far from us.

Clove stopped, but she didn't turn back.

"I've been waiting for this all my life and we end up stuck with an idiot," she told me.

"Well at least we have each other to keep our sanity," I laughed.

"There is no such thing as 'sanity' here," she responded.

"True," I responded, "but we keep each other grounded and civil in this gruesome place."

"Yeah, cause killing people is so civil," she says sarcastically.

"I mean you remind me that there is something beyond this. There's District Two to go back to. I'm not afraid of this, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to fit back in when I go back. I'll never be the same person," I told her honestly. I dare not look at her. She could be laughing to herself for all I know.

"I never fitted in," she mumbled, "never will." I turned to her then. She was looking down at her knife and playing with it. Her eyes were avoiding me this time.

Marvel came back and we started moving ahead. The silence returned.

I hated the silence. I wanted to talk to Clove more. Her voice was so soothing and I really did like her.

I started counting my steps and then I tried to count how many days we were here. I tried, but I couldn't figure it out. It all went by so quickly. It must have been more than three days.

We heard the cannon go off.

"You don't think it's Titus, do you?" Marvel asked me.

"That son of a bitch!" I growled.

We quickened our pace to a run. If Titus was dead, our supplies were unprotected. It would then be there for everyone to steal.

We finally made it to the meadow. Titus was sitting under the tent wiping his knife with his shirt.

"Missed us?" I threw my spear across the field piercing the ground two feet away from him. He jumped. I wouldn't have minded killing him then, but we still needed him to watch the stuff.

Marvel and I laughed. Clove still walked forward ignoring us.

"The girl from Four tried to take something, probably food, but she couldn't pass me," he said proudly.

"Good job," I told him unenthusiastically.

"Where's Glimmer?" He asked.

Marvel lost his smile.

"Got caught in a swarm of Tracker Jackers," Clove said. She grinned, but constrained herself from a smile.

"Who did you guys kill?" He was getting on my nerves with all these questions.

"Let me eat, and then you can talk," I told him. I put down my backpack and took out the crackers.

Only a couple remained, but it didn't matter because I stood beside a mountain of food.

"What else is in the pile? Is there any meat?" I asked him.

"It would be inedible by now," Clove interrupted.

"No, it's in a freezer," Titus said, "only a couple slices of chicken and some strips of bacon though."

He stands there waiting for us to talk.

"Then make a fire," I tell him.

"Right," he walks away.

He goes over to the dry pile of wood that he must have made while we were gone. He digs his hand in his pocket and pulls out a metal bottle of matches. He takes out one and lights it. He throws it in the mound of wood. It slowly starts and only a small trail of smoke rises up. The pile of supplies is packed tightly, so he has to take out a couple of packs before he gets to the freezer. It's a metal box, and it is tightly closed. He opens it, and the cold air escapes the container. His eyes scan the box and then he counts how much is there. I can see the sweat dripping from his forehead. He must be nervous now that we are here, and if he screws up, he's done for.

The fire is now starting to produce a flame. The burning branches crackle and small sparks fly up into the air and then die down into small bits of ash. He started cooking the meat with a pan that was from the pile.

Soon enough the fire was the only light that illuminated the meadow. The sun was down and only an orange glow from the flames lit Clove's face.

The meat was completely cooked, almost burnt.

He gave one to me, but I stopped him, "ladies first." I pass it to her.

"I'm not a lady," she growls, but she takes it anyway.

The chicken reminded me of home. The night before the reaping, we had chicken for dinner. This wasn't as good as my mother's cooking, but the only thing I could think of when I ate it was being at home in the kitchen and watching my mother cook as a little boy. She would put dinner in the oven and I would sit right in front of the glass and watch the food cook. It seems kind of weird, but everything I did as a child was weird. Even then, I had a brutal mind. As I stared at the oven, I would imagine putting my little brother, Marcus, in there. I loved him, but as all siblings do, we fought over the small things. Me being the older one, I teased him a lot. I would tell him scary stories about the arena and all the vicious creatures that were inside. I told him that one-year the monsters escaped and they all fled into district two and hid under children's beds. He believed me, being five years old. He couldn't sleep for weeks. I wonder how my family was now. Were they all watching me this very instant? Did Ares see me killing people? I hoped my mother didn't allow him, but the games were on every screen and hard to avoid. Ares was still an innocent child. The only blood he had ever encountered was his own which was trailing down his leg after he tripped over a rock while walking with my mother. I could imagine Marcus staring at me through the screen envying me. He wanted to be a tribute. When he was eleven, he told my father that he was going to be the youngest tribute to win the Hunger Games. My father told him the brutally honest truth that a twelve year old had no chance against tributes like me, who have more years in experience and have the strength and stamina to win. He was silent the rest of that day. The rest of that year, my parents encouraged me to volunteer this year and I was planning to do so. Every time they brought it up, my brother put his head down. He would always be in my shadow. From the day I become the victor, he would always be seen as "Cato's brother" and nothing more.

After we finished eating, we sat around the campfire and went to sleep. Titus still stayed up and watched over the camp. He was our slave, but I didn't feel bad about it because we let him live. He could be dead by now, but we let him tag along.

I was woken up to the sound of birds singing and the distinct smell of smoke. I looked to the fire. It was almost out. The rest of them were sleeping, even Titus. I got up to look around.

There was black smoke rising high above the trees.

"Guys, wake up," I yelled at them. They all raised their heads and looked at me with confused and tired eyes.

"There's a fire," I pointed to the smoke.

Clove stood up.

I threw the spear to Titus, "Stay here."

He nodded.

The three of us ran to the smoke. It was about a quarter of a mile away. Whoever it was, they were really dumb. I was betting it was the redhead from District Five. She didn't seem that bright.

The smoke was getting closer and bigger.

A large explosion echoed across the arena. It was louder than the cannon. I turned back to see a black and orange flaming cloud coming from the meadow.

"Shit," Marvel mumbled.

"Go to the fire," I told him, "Clove and I will go back."

I ran in front of her. What had happened was becoming clearer. The mines had exploded. The ones we put around the supply pile.

It was gone. It was all gone, every last bit of food. Now all fragments of ash and debris that scattered along the ground.

"What the hell happened?" I stormed up to Titus.

"I..I don't know…" he stuttered.

I grabbed his head then snapped it. I threw him to the ground. The cannon fired.

The retard blew everything up. I knew he wasn't to be trusted, I just hoped he would be scared enough not to do anything dumb.

"We have to get out of here," Clove grabbed my arm, "Cato, get your stuff and get out!"

We got all the things that remained under the tent then ran into the forest.

"I don't think he did it," Clove told me.

"Then who did?" I asked her.

"It was a trap. They knew we would go to the fire. They knew the pile would be unprotected," she told me. She was so smart, but I realized that we were the dumb ones.

"Let's just move on," she said.

Two cannons fired.

"Do you think that's Marvel?" I asked her.

"Most definitely," she looked at me.

She wasn't scared at all. Anger was the only thing I could read from her face.

We jumped from the sound of Claudius Templesmith's voice booming from overhead. He's the other host of the Hunger Games. "There has been a slight rule change. Two tributes from the same district can be declared winner if they are the last two alive. Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be _ever_ in your favor."

I look at Clove. She is staring at me. Her face is pale and shocked. I wrap my arms around her tightly.

I never have to let her go.


	11. Chapter 11

"What are you doing?" She pushed me away.

"Don't you get it?" I smiled, "we can both go home."

"I'm not deaf," she sneered, "don't jump on me like that. I was about to take my knife out."

"Sorry," we keep walking.

"We should start hunting for food," she changes the subject.

"You really don't get it, do you?" I am so lost. Why isn't she excited about this?

"What are you talking about?" she is getting a little irritated now.

"You're so caught up in this game that you don't notice what's right next to you," I keep my eyes on my boots, "I've always admired you. I sometimes envied your skill back home. I saw you in the training center, but I never had the courage to talk to you. I was scared of you. Not that you would hurt me, but I was scared I would say something wrong. I've never felt like this before, Clove. I'm Cato, 'the confident and brutal Cato'," I mimicked Caesar, "I'm supposed to be ruthless, but here you are," I laughed at myself, "you make me weak. And I'm afraid I've fallen for you. " I was on the brink of crying. I was cowardly. She must have thought I was a fool.

"Shut up," she growled, "I know you're just playing for them." She nodded her head up to the sky. The whole nation was watching us, but I honestly did not care.

I grabbed her arms and forced her to look at me, "Clove, I've wanted this my whole life. I've wanted the crown. I've wanted the title and the fame. My entire life I've dreamed of the arena, but now that I'm here, all I can think about is you. For the past few days, I've been dreading the night I will see your face shine from the sky. I don't need 'them'. They are nothing to me."

"This has already been done before. Peeta already played that move. No sponsors are going to invest in a derivative scheme," she told me.

"Why can't you realize it?" I let go of her, "I'm telling you what's been inside of me for the past four days and you just tell me that it's all a lie. If this is all a lie, then why do I feel so sick when you tell me to stop playing? This isn't a damn game," I end up yelling at her and I regret it.

She's still silent. I sit down against a tree.

"I love you, Clove," I cover my face. My eyes are swelling with tears and I feel sick just thinking about how weak I am at this point.

I can feel her body leaning against mine. I peak my head out to see she's resting her head on my shoulder.

"We can go home together," she whispers. I smile because she gets it now. She takes my hand and plays with my fingers before she kisses it.

"I knew you liked me," I lie with a smirk.

She rolls her eyes, "well, you are not making yourself very easy to like right now." She grins a bit.

I put my hands around her face and brush her hair away with my thumb. She looks so vulnerable in my hands. I close my eyes and gently kiss her lips. She flinches a bit, but she warms up to my touch.

She fell asleep in my arms that night and I don't believe I have ever slept that well in my life.

I wake up to Claudius's booming voice shouting from above again, "All of you need something. This afternoon we will be holding a feast at the Cornucopia. There you will find a bag with your districts number." It was already noon. We had slept through the morning.

"What do we need?" I ask her.

"A second bloodbath," she smiles.

"Let me go," I tell her.

"No, let me," she begs, "I haven't killed anyone since the first day."

"Fine," I tell her, "But I'll come if you need me."

"No need," she smiles.

"Just let me, please," I say.

"Okay," she stands up and starts walking back to the cornucopia.

I run up to her and put my arm around her waist. She moves my hand away.

I look at her confusingly.

"Not now," she mumbles.

I put my arm around her shoulder, "come on, they aren't watching us."

She doesn't push me away, but she's still stiff.

We walk for an hour and she talks, "stay here. I'll come back in an hour."

She stops and hesitates for a second. She turns to look at me. She holds my face with her small hands and her lips hit mine. A new passion and euphoria overwhelms me. I want us to be like this forever. I hold her and don't react to her resistance.

"I have to go," she pushes me a bit and laughs.

She leaves me in the middle of the woods. I watch her walk away.

I sat against a tree and waited. It seemed like eternity.

I thought about how life was going to be like when we got home. We'd be neighbors then. I'd see her everyday. We'd be together all the time.

There were no cannons.

I got up and started walking. There should have been one at least.

"CATO! CATO!" I hear her shrieking. My heart drops. I start running to her.

"CATO!" I hear my name and her voice for the last time.

"CLOVE!" I yell out to her.

I'm run through ignoring all the things around me. I just run forward.

"CLOVE!" I shout again hoping for some kind of response.

She's there. She's laying beside the cornucopia. She isn't moving. My heart is racing. I start to feel nauseous. I catch a glimpse of Thresh running into the large plain, but I run towards her.

I kneel beside her and pick up her head. Her eyes are blank. Her blood starts to get on my hand. I look beside her to a rock that is covered in blood.

"Stay with me," I hold her head up and move the hair out of her face, "just stay with me please." My tears are fall onto her face. I put my head against her chest. She's not there. "We have to come back together. Don't do this. Come back." I hold on to her tightly and my tears seep into her shirt.

"Clove, don't leave me," I whisper.

The cannon fires.

I looked at my hands with her blood dripping from my fingertips. I started getting lightheaded.

"Just kill me!" I yell to the sky, "I don't want this anymore!"

I get no response.

I pace back and forth on the field. I screamed as loud as I could and pulled on my hair furiously. This can't be real. I try not to look at her body anymore. It makes me sick and I am full of regrets. I can't do this anymore.


	12. Chapter 12

I heard a cannon go off.

My body was becoming heavier. Clove was gone. She wasn't coming back with me. This whole time I was hoping for someone else to kill her before I had to, but the rules changed. Clove and I would have won together.

I should have gone with her. I should have stayed by her side. I should have been the one to die. She didn't deserve this.

This wasn't a game. We were all being lined up for slaughter. The arena was a way to get some entertainment out of the punishment. We were all dead from the beginning. From the moment their names were picked up. I was stupid enough to volunteer.

I didn't want to go home.

I was back to the meadow.

I walked across. Suddenly the sky turned from orange to navy.

I was hungry and tired. I didn't have a purpose anymore, but I was too weak to kill myself.

Howls grew louder as the sky darkened even more. They created something. A mutated creature to kill us all. In all honesty, I didn't mind much.

I ran towards the meadow, but it was too dark to really know where I was going.

I was going to go up on the cornucopia and hope these things wouldn't be able to reach me.

Another cannon went off. I looked up to the dark sky. Thresh's face looked down on me.

If I still cared, I would be excited to see his face up there, but I don't care anymore.

The two from Twelve were still alive. I needed to kill them. They couldn't just win and be happy. That's not how this works.

Suddenly a dog looking thing came up from the bushes. It was huge. No more than five feet taller than me.

My face stung from its claws skidding across it.

I took another hit to the jaw. The pain was paralyzing.

I felt the pressure of its paw collapsing my chest. My ribs were bending into my lungs. My head was feeling light. I had to go on. I kill the others.

The thing's mouth was open and ready to consume my head.

I took the machete, shaking in my hands, and hit its throat.

The mutated dog fell beside me and my machete was stuck under its large body. I tried to take it out but it wouldn't budge.

It was the only weapon I had. It was gone.

I ran faster to the meadow.

The metallic taste was becoming more intense in my mouth.

I coughed and the blood splattered into my hand.

I kept moving, ignoring the stabbing pain.

I saw it. The cornucopia was already occupied.

Peeta was there. Alive. So was Katniss.

I climbed up onto the cornucopia. She was inches away from me. I could kill her right now.

I slammed her to the ground. She gripped onto my hands, but she wasn't strong enough.

Suddenly he grabs me. I'm thrown across the cornucopia. My broken ribs consume my every thought after their jostled by the throw.

He comes up to punch me, but I hit him first. He goes down.

I walk over to her. I easily pick her up and have her pinned down again. My arm suffocates her. Behind, I see the mutts trying to reach for her head. Her face is turning red. I've almost got her.

Peeta has me again, but I quickly turn and throw him across.

I grab his jaw. I have him in a head lock.

Her arrow is aimed at me.

"Go on," I yell to her, "shoot."

I wanted to die. With all this pain and Clove's death, I wanted it all to end.

I can barely talk with the blood pooling in my mouth, "and we both go down and you win."

My lungs are about to collapse, "go on."

He squirms in my arms, but I still hold tight, "I'm dead anyway."

I'm too young. I'm only sixteen and that's all there will be of me.

Clove appears in my head. She was dead from the start too. Every word I say is a stab to my chest, "I always was, right?"

"I didn't know that 'til now," I'm crying, but I don't know what it's from. Is it the pain or is it because I'm dying? My life is over. I don't know what's going to happen after this.

"How's that? Is that what they want, huh?" I yell to the sky. The people watching must be on the edge of their seats. They want me to die. They want the lovers to have a happy ending, but there are no happy endings. The odds are _never _in your favor.

She has her arrow now aimed at my head.

"Huh?" I laugh at her. She wants me dead, but her poor Peeta is still struggling in my hands.

He starts pushing harder. My grip tightens even more, " No. I can still do this."

"I can still do this," I manage to say again.

"One more kill," I move my hand onto the back of his head. In a second he'll be dead.

"It's the only thing I know how to do," I tell her.

"Bringing pride to my district," I make fun of my younger, stupid self.

"Not that it matter," I was dead after all. My district will forget about me. I'll be a forgotten tribute. My parents will get nothing. My brothers will only have memories to hold onto, memories that will fade with time.

She lets go. The arrow goes through my hand. He kicks me down.

I lay on the ground unable to get up. My body is shutting down.

Now the mutts are coming towards me.

I try to get up, but it's no use.

I'm dead.

The teeth grab onto my abdomen and rip it open. I've never felt this pain before.

I'm in a nightmare, "Please!"

I want to die. I want to get out of this.

My breaths are getting heavy.

My leg is gone. I can't feel it anymore.

I look down. There's an arrow threw my chest, but I can't feel it.

I can't feel anything.

She's there. Clove's there. She is coming to me.

We can go home.

It's all over.

We can go home together.


	13. Author Note

I edited and added a few more things to this story.

So if you would like, you can read it again.

Or you can ignore this.


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